Panel: Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Being Human

Panel discussion with Sharon Kunde, Sophie Olmsted MAT ’21, Roberta March MFA '21 Consider how technology shapes the way you think, learn, work, and connect with the world around you. Some of its influences are more explicit: using AI to draft an email, plan a meal, or help with homework. Others are so seamlessly woven into our daily lives that we barely notice them: GPS-based navigation and autocorrect, algorithm-driven feeds, and voice assistants. As we increasingly rely on AI to perform tasks once carried out by our own minds, what do we gain and what do we lose? How can we ensure that we protect our capacity for independent thinking, attention, and meaningful connection? In collaboration with Dear Data, join us for an interdisciplinary panel exploring the role of creativity in an increasingly automated world. Bringing together perspectives from art and design, education, technology, and philosophy, the conversation will explore how we can cultivate and preserve the distinctly human capabilities that enable us to think critically and creatively and work towards a human-led future. We’ll explore: Creativity and cognitive health: What do we know about the relationship between creative practice and cognitive well-being? What happens when we increasingly outsource our thinking to technology? Creativity belongs to everyone: Creativity does not belong solely to artists and designers. It’s a powerful human capacity that can be cultivated and learned regardless of profession or experience. Rethinking how we learn: Art and design education cultivates creativity, critical thinking, resilience, and experimentation. How can we learn from this pedagogy to develop these valuable skills outside of the classroom? The future of work: Creativity, taste, judgment, and critical thinking are becoming among the most sought-after skills in a professional landscape being transformed by AI. Preserving your creative agency: Establishing a creative practice can help individuals, organizations, educators, and communities can help to build equitable relationships with the technology and systems that shape the world around us Whether you’re an artist, educator, student, business leader, parent, or community member, this conversation invites you to consider why cultivating our creativity matters more as technology becomes increasingly capable.